Source: Steve Marcus / Getty
INDIANAPOLIS – Here’s our latest ‘hits and misses’ piece on 1075TheFan.com highlighting the good and bad from the previous game.
The Colts didn’t have a ton of positives from their 21-13 primetime effort in Minnesota.
What was the good and bad from the Colts (4-5) losing on Sunday Night Football?
1. Hit: Grover Stewart DeForest Buckner
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Grover Stewart DeForest Buckner: The Colts have one of the most disruptive defensive tackle pairings in the entire NFL. And Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner brought ample playmaking on Sunday night. The duo combined for 10 tackles, 3 sacks and a huge forced fumble by Stewart, leading to the only points of the first half. Most defensive tackles don’t offer the ability to playmake like these two. They are not just space eaters.
2. Hit: Kenny Moore II
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Kenny Moore II: Honestly, it was hard to find another ‘hit’ from Sunday night. But credit to Kenny Moore II for being that ‘right place at the right time guy,’ like he seemingly always is, for the fumble recovery touchdown. Moore II’s added a tackle for loss and is such a sound tackler, no matter the weight differential he’s giving up.
3. Miss: Joe Flacco/Shane Steichen
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Joe Flacco/Shane Steichen: A huge reason why Shane Steichen benched Anthony Richardson for Joe Flacco was because they needed more from the passing offense, especially on third down. Well, they got very little of that improvement against the Vikings, with a season-low in total yards and a 3-for-11 effort on the money down.
4. Miss: Defensive Approach
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Defensive Approach: This is probably more of a philosophical comment than anything. But it’s amazing in a night when the Colts allowed 9 of the 10 Minnesota drives to reach the Colts side of the field, 21 points (with 2 missed field goals), a season-best receiving yards for number Justin Jefferson and a career-best 82 completion percentage for Sam Darnold, how that unit gets totally absolved from the loss. Yes, the offense was much, much more of the root of the issue. But this overall defensive approach contributes to keeping the Colts away from controlling field position/time of possession.
5. Miss: One Dimensional Offense
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One Dimensional Offense: It was a rough day for the Colts running backs against the Vikings, with Jonathan Taylor and Trey Sermon combining for 52 yards on 15 carries. The Colts have to find a way to create more run-game production when Joe Flacco is under center. Taylor is too dynamic to have the issues, with little traction in between the tackles.
